Perplexica

What is Perplexica?

Perplexica is an open-source AI answering engine that you run on your own hardware, and its repository now uses the name Vane. It sends your question through web search powered by SearxNG, passes the results to a language model you choose, and returns an answer with cited sources. Models can be local through Ollama or hosted by providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini and Groq, and you can mix them. Three search modes trade speed against depth: Speed, Balanced and Quality for deeper research. You can limit searches to the web, discussion sites or academic papers, restrict a query to certain domains, upload PDFs, text files and images to ask questions about them, and search images and videos. Helper widgets cover weather, calculations and stock prices, and search history is stored locally. There is also an API for developers. The software is free to self-host with Docker; you pay only for any cloud model API you connect.

Use cases

• Search the web with cited answers
• Run a private alternative to Perplexity
• Ask questions about uploaded PDFs
• Search academic papers
• Limit research to chosen domains
• Add search to a browser's address bar

Who it's for

• Privacy-minded users
• Self-hosters
• Developers
• Researchers

Why use Perplexica

• Keeps search queries on hardware you control instead of a hosted service.
• Lets you choose and switch between local and cloud models rather than being tied to one.
• Shows the sources behind each answer so you can check claims.
• Costs nothing for the software itself and installs with a single Docker command.
• Exposes an API and a browser search-engine shortcut so you can use it beyond the web interface.

Perplexica features

• Web search through a bundled SearxNG instance
• Local models through Ollama or cloud models from OpenAI, Claude, Gemini and Groq
• Speed, Balanced and Quality search modes
• Source selection for web, discussions and academic papers
• File uploads for PDFs, text files and images
• Domain-restricted search
• Image and video search
• Widgets for weather, calculations and stock prices
• Local search history
• Search API for developers

Perplexica integrations

• SearxNG
• Ollama
• OpenAI
• Anthropic Claude
• Google Gemini
• Groq
• Lemonade
• Docker

How to get started with Perplexica

1. Start the container with the Docker command from the repository, which bundles SearxNG.
2. Open localhost on port 3000 and use the setup screen to add API keys or an Ollama address.
3. Pick a mode and source type, then ask a question.
4. The app searches through SearxNG and the model writes an answer with cited sources.
5. Upload files, restrict domains or revisit earlier searches from your local history.

Perplexica limitations

• You have to host it yourself, typically with Docker, and configure models and API keys
• Authentication is listed as an upcoming feature, so exposing it to a network needs care
• Cloud model usage is billed by the provider you connect
• Tavily and Exa search support is listed as coming soon

Perplexica pricing

Perplexica is open source, so you can use and self-host it for free.

Prices can change and may vary by country or exclude tax. Check the official pricing page.

Perplexica alternatives

The main Perplexica alternatives listed on Debuly are Perplexity, Open WebUI, MemFree, Local Deep Research, ScholarAI and AnswerThis. The table compares pricing and platforms; order is A–Z.

1. 

   AnswerThis

   AnswerThis is an AI research assistant that searches 250M+ papers, writes cited literature reviews and runs systematic reviews.

   Research and searchWriting
   FreemiumVisit AnswerThis (official site)
2. LD

   Local Deep Research

   Self-hosted AI research assistant that runs agentic deep research with local or cloud LLMs, many search engines and cited reports, with encrypted storage.

   Research and searchDeveloper platforms
   Open sourceVisit Local Deep Research (official site)
3. 

   MemFree

   Open-source hybrid AI search engine that answers from your own knowledge base and the web, plus an AI page generator for React and Tailwind UIs.

   Research and searchDeveloper platformsCoding
   Open sourceVisit MemFree (official site)
4. 

   Open WebUI

   Self-hosted AI chat platform for Ollama and OpenAI-compatible models with RAG, agents, tools, notes, channels and role-based access.

   Chat assistantsDeveloper platformsAutomation and agents
   Open sourceVisit Open WebUI (official site)
5. 

   Perplexity

   AI answer engine that searches the web, cites sources inline and offers deep research, multi-step tasks and a choice of top models on paid plans.

   Research and searchChat assistantsProductivity
   FreemiumVisit Perplexity (official site)
6. 

   ScholarAI

   AI research assistant that finds, summarizes and organizes academic papers, with a Copilot workspace, a ChatGPT GPT and an API.

   Research and searchWritingProductivity
   FreemiumVisit ScholarAI (official site)

Perplexica FAQ

Sources & verification

Facts on this page come from the official sources below, each with the date we read it. Written by Debuly; the vendor did not review this page.

Image credits

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